Tuesday night in my mind.

The life of a single, working, twenty-something. Chaotic. Unpredictable even when you plan.  But fun, so you don't want to say no!  My life.

Today a situation came up that was one of the exact scenarios that caused me to start this blog in the first place.  I know it happens, so in a way I should be better prepared, but it still happens.

This Sunday I cooked and prepped my meals for the week.  Salads, healthy veggie dishes, roasted sweet potatoes, turkey sandwiches.  Lots of variety. Lots of yummy things to choose from.

This week was my first week returning to Weight Watchers after a couple months of being... well.. negligent with counting my points.  I mean, let's be honest, I wasn't doing it.

I made the decision last week to return to Weight Watchers.  Seriously. And I felt like I was doing well all week.  As per usual, by the time it the seventh day of the week, I had used every single one of my extra points and my exercise points.  I still felt on track though.  I had my meals for the week prepared and was feeling good.

But today I found out about a work dinner that I couldn't miss.  The night before my Weight Watchers weigh in.  With no points to spare.  So, obviously I thought in advance, Salad with grilled chicken.  Water to drink.  No appetizers, no bread. You can do this.

But then everyone was ordering drinks and I had had a really stressful day.  So I ordered a beer as well.  And then out of nowhere plates of appetizers arrived.  I skipped the clam cakes & calamari, but bruschetta! My favorite!  Or, one of my favorites at least...

So I ate a couple pieces of bruschetta... topped with lots of tomatoes!  Those are zero points, so that's okay, right?!

And then we ordered meals and I ordered first.  "Salad with grilled chicken, please!"

But around the table the waitress continued and EVERYONE ELSE got either a soup or a salad as a starter.  And that french onion soup sounded SO GOOD.  So, "Excuse me, miss?  Could I start with the french onion soup as well?"  and I told myself, I'll only have a few bites.

The soup came and it was delicious.  I had more than just a few bites.

Salad came, not much damage that can be done there.  Well, except for the walnuts in the salad... and the cheese... and the dried cranberries... I did get the dressing on the side though!  That counts for something, no?

And because none of this food was enough... a round of desserts was brought out.  Cut into small pieces, enough for everyone to try almost everything if we wanted.  There was chocolate layer cake.  And peanut butter pie.  And fresh whipped cream.

I'll just have the strawberries that came on top of the whipped cream.  And maybe a bite of the peanut butter pie.  And the chocolate layer cake.  And, okay, one more of the peanut butter pie...

And now here I am.

The night before my Weight Watchers weigh in.  The week that I was supposed to be "back on track." And I'm not feeling so hot about myself.  But I guess this is how life goes for the single, working, twenty-something, who is incredibly addicted to delicious food.  

Ugh.  I guess there is always tomorrow...

Save me, San Francisco!

As I mentioned, I wanted to do a solo post on my trip to San Francisco.  It was a really great combination of a great work experience and some fun I was able to fit in seeing family and friends.  And of course, contributing to my recent weight gain, there was some delicious food!

I wanted to check out the Mission while in San Francisco and get some tacos.  We went to a little hole in the wall looking place called La Taqueria.  I chose one beef taco and one chicken taco and they were both equally amazing.  The fresh salsa was the perfect touch.

Tacos from La Taqueria

Of course, I had to try the chips and salsa as well!

We also tried a restaurant called the American Grilled Cheese Kitchen.  I got the tomato soup and a friend of mine and I split two sandwiches.  We ordered a Mousetrap and a Mac n Cheese Grilled Cheese (we just had to!) and each ate half of each.  We both agreed that just the plain Mousetrap was the better of the two.  Both were cheesy and gooey and delicious though!

I mean, come on? Look at that cheese!

There are so many delicious food options in San Francisco it is hard to even write about them all.  Next to my event venue for work there were a number of great lunch options, such as a delicious shwarma place where I got a falafel wrap one day and a great Vietnamese place where you could get rolls, noodle bowls, or pho.  I chose the wraps, stuffed with veggies and chicken and there were three delicious sauces you could eat with your wraps.  I put a combination of the peanut sauce and the sweet and sour sauce on mine!  YUM!

The meal was big and filling (which you know I love) but didn't leave you feeling too heavy or weighed down.  A perfect lunch option on a busy day!

Finally, I wanted to share with you an "outfit post" as I'm trying to do every once in a while to get me out of my comfort zone.

Shoes & scarf: H&M; Pants: Gap; Shirt: Banana Republic; Sweater: Urban Outfitters

Hope you enjoyed my San Fran post!  Looking forward to writing more from the couch this week.

The Olympics are CONSUMING my life.

I have spent the vast majority of the weekend on the couch, in front of the TV, consumed by the summer Olympics.  I know I'm not the only one out there that has this addiction/compulsion every few years.  I just absolutely love the competition, the glory, the defeat, the incredible displays of strength, dedication and endurance.  And, I should mention, the summer Olympics are by far my favorite.

As I wrote about before, I recently went to Atlanta for work.  On that trip we walked through the Olympics park on the way to our event venue and it reminded me that my Olympics obsession started early.  Like most young girls in the 90s, I was MESMERIZED by the 1996 women's gymnastics team. I remember watching Kerri Strug on the vault like it was yesterday.  I used to pretend to be her and recreate that moment in the pool using the black lines at the bottom of the pool as my "vault."  I requested, and received, the 1996 "Best Of" VHS tape for my birthday that year and watched it over and over and over.

Since moving into my new apartment, I haven't had any cable television.  It was a bit of a pain for Syracuse basketball games, the Superbowl, some awards ceremonies, etc. but I have made do.  However, I had Time Warner Cable at my apartment Friday morning setting up cable TV because I did not want to miss this!

So, with all that being said, here are a few things on my mind:

1.  Team Lochte all the way!  I have a giant crush on Ryan Lochte and am excited to see him compete. I was screaming at my TV last night during the 400M IM!  Although I am impressed and awed by what  Michael Phelps has accomplished in his career, I am excited to see other deserving American athletes get some glory.  What about you?  Team Lochte or Team Phelps?

2.  Can we talk about this video from the U.S. Swimming team?  Love.



I love people that don't take themselves TOO seriously and I love seeing that the athletes are really enjoying their time at the Olympics and the experience itself.  So fun.  Also, I may be a little biased as well since my family just did our own rendition :)



 3.  Why do all of the gymnasts have their number bibs safety pinned to the back of their uniforms?  These outfits are specially designed for the teams every year and they can't figure a better way to handle numbering the athletes?  These uniforms I'm sure are ridiculously expensive and are designed for technical perfection for the athletes.  Yet they have to deal with having a number pinned on?  That is the same process used for the rinky-dink 5Ks I run in.  And I find the safety pinned numbers annoying! I can't imagine being in a competition like the Olympics and having to deal with this.  I don't know why I find this so unbelievable but it baffles me every time I see them.

4.  Cycling.  Now, I never watch the Tour de France so this may be old news for some people, but the fans are in the MIDDLE OF THE ROAD!  Get out of the way!  People are riding for medals here!!  Goodness gracious, it makes me anxious just watching this on the TV.  Why are the roads not blocked off to keep the people out of the riders way??

5.  The coverage.  I've been following a lot of the #nbcfail conversation going on over Twitter and I have to admit I am disappointed in NBC as well.  I wish they had made some strides to really make these Olympic games accessible in real time.  There are a number of decisions they could have done differently and the reactions of the execs in charge have been VERY disappointing to see.  And PLEASE, can we get rid of Ryan Seacrest?!?  Please!

6.  I am getting so excited for my sprint tri!!!  It is now less than a week away.  I am nervous and excited and the Olympics are getting me even more motivated and ready to go.  Swim, bike, run, here I come!!!

Where I've been and what I've been eating -- did you miss me?!

Hi everybody!  I hope you are all enjoying the heat that has rolled into town this summer and have been spending lots of time doing the summer-y things you love.  It feels like it has been ages since I've posted here and want to get back into the groove by just doing a quick recap of where I've been and what I've been eating.  Despite not actually getting the chance to write posts, I've been snapping lots of pictures of my meals over the past few months in thoughts of sharing them with you guys.

I last wrote when I was in Germany for work.  I had just arrived and was in Germany for 10 days in both the northern part of the country and down in Bavaria, visiting friends and sightseeing in Munich.  The past few months have been exciting and busy for me as Germany (and before that, Texas) have only been the beginning of my travels.  Since Germany, I have also been to Atlanta, New York City, Boston, and San Francisco.  And everywhere I go, delicious restaurants, menus, and regional specialities have awaited me.  As I mentioned, it's been exciting, fun, and also not too good for my waistline as, much to my stress and agony, I've put on about 10 lbs over the past few months.

The next few months are going to continue to be busy for me with more fun travel coming up, and as much as I love it, I'm a little terrified as to the continued effect this will have on my body and the work that I've put in to becoming healthier over the past year.  As I work to find a balance while still exploring the world and all the food it has to offer, I hope to continue to write here and share my adventures (and struggles) with you.  But now, on to the good stuff!  What I've been eating...

First meal in Rheine, Germany.. a delicious grilled pear salad, bread, and beer of course :)

Pumpkin soup in Osnabruck, Germany

The most amazing steak and potatoes in Osnabruck, Germany

I've arrived in Bavaria! The land of large pretzels.

I was thrilled to be drinking my favorite beer in Germany :)

Mushroom pizza in Munich?  Why not.  It was as good as it looks.

You can't go to Bavaria and not have schnitzel.  Delicious, but HEAVY.

I'm addicted.  I love gelato.

Kasebretze (I think) a.k.a. a cheesy pretzel.  I used to eat these for breakfast when I lived in Munich :)

Drinking a peach bellini in Atlanta.  Made with fresh Georgia peaches!

We ate at Floataway Cafe in Atlanta.  Their fries were amazing!

My roast chicken at Floataway Cafe in Atlanta, GA.

In Atlanta we celebrated the 10 year anniversary of our business. Cake was eaten.

This meal was eaten in good ol' Schenectady, NY at Ferrari's. Portions are INSANE.

For "National Wind Day" I made cookies for my team.  Decorated with wind turbines and gusts of wind :)

I guess after looking at all of that, I should be thankful that it was only 10 lbs that I gained, right?  And this isn't even 1/2 of the delicious meals that I've eaten over the past few months.  Just the ones that I remembered to snag pictures of before stuffing my face!  I will do another post recapping my trip to San Francisco because I have to share the picture of the BEST tacos I've ever had in my life.

As always, hope you are having a great week and I will be back soon!